White | Allagash Brewing Company

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Our interpretation of a traditional Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with a generous portion of wheat and spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel, this beer is fruity, refreshing and slightly cloudy in appearance.

More User Reviews:

Presentation: 12 oz. short twist, gives directions on how to properly pour the beer on the label. No freshness date on the bottle but the case box had a bottled on date on top.

Appearance: Cloudy pale yellow in colour with a creamy big bubbled lace that shows no problem of retaining. A classic White Ale look.

Smell: An extravagant spicy mix and a touch of lemon hit the nose sharp. Coriander and orange peel are evident as well as an earthy yeast.

Taste: Crisp and a bit smooth with a moderate body and medium carbonation. Soft flavours of barley and wheat are cut by a flare of spiciness, coriander is a bit dominant. The orange peel is a touch bitter with a soft rind like flavour. A little touch of fruit (pear & plum), yeast and a dash of hop bitterness in the finish. The fermented wheat provides a lingering spiciness that fades slowly in the semi-dry finish.

Notes: This ale is fine just on its own though the spiciness can hold its own to anything on the bbq grill. A superb wit to be had.

A - It pours into a pint glass a semi-cloudy pale yellow. Head quickly fades into a fairy ring. A bit of lacing.

S - The nose is a bit light but one can detect wheat, some spices, and floral hops.

T - I'm disappointed. I base most of my witbier reviews from my perceptions of Hoegaarden and Wittekerke. To me this beer falls short. I can barely detect the spices or citrus in the beer and part of this is due to an unusual high level of hops for this style. To me, it comes off as watery and hoppy / grassy.

Lightly cloudy daffodil yellow. The cap is as bright white as freshly fallen snow and is ever so slowly melting away with the gentle popping of thousands of tiny surface bubbles. A short, thick collar is being pulled along as the head descends, some remaining behind as attractive lace.

The nose is witbier wonderful. Some wits have too much spice, some not enough. Some lack citrusiness, others smell artificial. This one smells juuust right. It possesses an intriguing mix of bright, lemon zestiness and warm coriander spice, both humming along on a lightly sweet, soft wheaty undercurrent. I hope the beer tastes as incredible as it smells.

Allagash White is an exceptional witbier. In my experience, most craft breweries have a slightly different take on the style. I love Allagash's since it dovetails so beautifully with my preferences. Far from being a mere vehicle for the other flavors, the underlying ale is rock solid. It's pale maltier than most, with a sugar cookie-like sweetness that is softened by the addition of a generous quantity of wheat.

Wits are all about the top notes, though, and that's where this one really shines. There's a perfect amount of spiciness. Coriander is the clear ringleader, but I wouldn't be surprised if cardamom is present as well (the beer just has that spicy, exotic, cardamom bite). Gliding farther up the register, we have abundant lemon and orange peel notes. This is a beer that delivers on all levels.

As I stare sadly at my glass and realize that there are only a few ounces remaining, I'm struck by the sheer palate-busting flavor of this beer. It's bold and aggressive while retaining an amazing degree of approachability and drinkability (characteristics of all great beer, in my opinion). The mouthfeel is more than up to the task and provides a medium-full, silky smooth lushness that is a sensual treat quite apart from the flavor itself. Outstanding.

After drinking and enjoying the hell out of Allagash Grand Cru, I knew they were capable of great things. Even so, I wasn't prepared for the magnificence of Allagash White. It delivers on every item from my 'witbier wishlist', combines them into one amazing package and ties it all up with a perfect ribbon of drinkability. Allagash is rapidly ascending the list of my favorite U.S. craft breweries.

A: hazy almost opaque lemon yellow, soapy and quickly dissipating 1 finger head with a good amount of lacing.
S: strong, tart and very spicy, prominent lemon character that blends well with the wheaty tartness
T: Immediate wheaty tartness followed by subtle sweetness and warmth, not as much lemon as one would expect, a very prominent spicy character, lemon remains subdued but beer remains very zesty
M: creamy and silky smooth with a dry finish
O: I fucking hate belgian wits (though I passionately love belgian beer), and this is the best one I've ever had and I truly enjoy it. this beer is not complex but doesn't need to be, it is an excellent example of the style and each layer here (though there are not many as noted) is interesting and pleasant enough that the lack of complexity is a non-issue. buy it if you get it in your area

The smell and taste were clean & crisp and went very nicely with my veggie sandwich. It also was great as a after lunch drink. Even the one who brewed himself thought that it was a nice refreshing beer for spring & thought it might be paired well with cheesem

Appearance: Had this one from the bottle, but I made sure to rouse the yeast as I was drinking. I could tell that it was hazy, and it kept a light froth around the edges of the bottle.

Smell: Slight banana notes in the nose from the yeast with a powerful assertion of the spices.

Taste: Wow, this is an extremely complex wit. The standard wit yeast notes (banana and some slight funk) is present and relatively assertive, but the major player in this beer is the coriander and orange peel. I was really impressed with how assertive these spices were in this brew and was honestly a bit put off by them at first. This is steps above a Blue Moon, but is something I would probably not drink in quantity due to its assertive spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Effervescent and medium bodied.

Overall: A great witbier and one that really exemplifies the style. This is a heavily spiced beer- the spices are easily the most dominant part of the flavor in this one. It's not bad, but it takes some getting used to. Would recommend.

On tap:
This pour is a cloudy white ale pale yellow. Head is very white and caps the pour for at least half the glass.

Nose is Belgian yeast banana with a dose of wheat and light amounts of coriander spice. A little sweet orange citrus accent also presents itself.

A nice carbonation that’s between tickling and prickly hits my tongue. Medium body behind it carries the flavors that correspond to the nose. The banana hits first, but the coriander and an earthy bitterness push this into balanced or even ever so slightly bitter seeming. Orange again plays just an accent, more noticeable in the back of the taste.

A very solid beer, maybe a little Americanized, but that alteration isn’t a problem at all.

Poured a clear yellow color (where is the sediment) with decent foamy head,aroma was very citruisy and wheaty.Taste was nice anf tart very lemony and spicey with some faint smoky undertones.Very refreshing and easy to drink not my favorite wit beer but still pretty good.

Chalky straw with a nice foamy head. Lovely apricot-pepper-lemon zest nose. Taste too is peppery and loaded with citrus and coriander. Very refreshing. Solid underlying malt backbone and subtle bitterness. Spicy and thirst quenching at the same time. Very complex for the style.

Reviewed from notes composed on 2/16/11. Thanks again for the hospitality, Walter the Dog.

Al the White pours a golden apple juice color with a white hazy film on top- there is not much of a head at all. The lacing is quite phenomenal- very sticky, archy, and dotty.

Woo dog, that's a spicy smell. Peppercorn and coriander are hugely important; the wheat also affects the spiciness a bit. This is a very sharp and crisp smell. Some lemon zest and cleaner citrus aromas also waft out of the glass.

Spice blends better with fruity, yeasty components in the taste than it does in the smell. Very nice, mellower fruity esters of banana and some crisp apple are evident, but the spice does make its presence known at the beginning of the sip.

The mouthfeel is a good juggling act between mellow creaminess and the bite of the spices. The body is light to medium, and is helped by excellent carbonation. The finish is nicely dry to temper the creaminess on the flat of my tongue.

I have been enjoying wheat beer more lately and this one was very nice. I thought it had great balance and strong flavors. I could certainly have a few of these on a hot summer day.

T: The flavor is mainly Belgian yeast characters of citrus and spice with the fruit character tasting like it was yeast derived, maybe from orange and lemon peel additions but no from hops. The wheat malt comes through as well. The hops bitterness is low but the overall bitterness is moderately-strong giving a balance that is bitter. The aftertaste is of citrus peel and spice.

M: Kind of soft and fluffy with a medium-light bodied beer and a strong level of carbonation. A light astringency that dries the palate.

O: A good Belgian Wit with a lot of citrus peel character and some spice. The balance is slightly too bitter. Worth trying but not worth tracking down.

A-Cloudy straw yellow with minimal head but some lacing left behind
S-Spices(coriander, cloves), wheat grain-reminiscent of a traditional hefe with an earthier yeast. Good aromatics but not a strong scent.
T-Wheat grain and spices with a fairly powerful earthy yeast flavor. The flavor was good but I did not enjoy the earthy yeast taste on this beer. Took alot away from the overall refreshing quality I enjoy in a wit.
M-Smooth in the mouth, but a little bit fizzy.
D-I wouldn't drink more than one because of the strong yeast flavor.

Overall well crafted beer with some good flavors-the yeast flavor was just not for me.

S: Heavy fruit/citrus aromas with a little bit
of grass/grain and just a hint of hop and
alcohol.

T: Fantastic rush of citrus fruit. This beer
could be my water substitute. The grassy
undertones are well highlighted but not at
all any competition for the citrus themes
of this brew.

M/D: The smoothness of this drink is virtually
unparalleled. I love the even bodied nature
and the almost perfect smoothness with
which this beer makes its way into your
stomach. There is none greater in the
summer months.